Basic Information
Somalia is an African country. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya on its southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen on its north, the Indian Ocean at its east, and Ethiopia to the west. Currently, the internationally recognized government of Somalia has little authority in much of the country, with regional warlords replacing the government in many areas. Some of factions in the country are Islamic in origin and want to introduce Sharia law to the country. Furthermore, many pirates are preying upon ships traveling near the Horn of Africa.
The nation was formed following WW2 from the fusion of the former Italian and British Somaliland territories, themselves the result of unifying assorted smaller protectorates that the two powers had collected over time. Whilst parts of this territory were ceded to Ethiopia, the rest was granted independence as part of the general programme of decolonisation in 1960. As happened so often in post-colonial Africa, the new government quickly fell into tyranny following the 1969 coup d'etat by General Siad Barre. Backed by the Soviet Union the Barre government held out until 1991, despite an unsuccessful war with Ethiopia in the 1970s, followed by slowly increasing unrest, famine and political corruption. With his patron gone, Barre was ousted by a coalition of interests (including, it must be said, many backed by Ethiopia), which then collapsed into the ongoing state of anarchy. Attempts by the United Nations and USA to stabilise the situation were largely unsuccessful and what little they did achieve has largely unwound in the subsequent years. Stability, at a price, was bought to parts of the country by the Islamic Courts Union, but they too were ousted by the nation's theoretical government with African Union support.
In the pre-colonial era, the area was home to several regional empires with extensive trades in ivory and slaves and may have been part of the classical land of Punt.
See Also
- News: Somalia a land of chaos, awash in weapons
- News: The Lawless Horn
- News: Somalia’s Pirates Flourish in a Lawless Nation
Sources
P. J. O'Rourke's All the trouble in the World includes an account of his time in Somalia during the UN intervention.
Game and Story Use
- As one of the most anarchic regions on Earth, Somalia is an obvious adventure location for player characters who want to "turn loose" and live beyond the law in a region where the strongest and most ruthless prosper.
- Of course, if the PCs themselves portray themselves as strong, they will be seen as a threat by the warlords and provoke preemptive strikes. If they carry around a lot of expensive gear, they will be subject to theft and kidnapping. Unless they have the strength and means to rule a region of Somalia all by themselves, they will need some sort of alliance or agreement with the local rulers.
- Somalia can also serve as a good model for similarly anarchic locales in other settings.
- The UN era, as described by P. J. O'Rourke has potential, whether as military personnel engaged in endeavours like Gothic Serpent or PMCs on behalf of an NGO or corporation.